Stock food.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. ELDRIIDGE, OF SUGAR LAND, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TO IMPERIAL SUGARCOMPANY, OF SUGAR. LAND, TEXAS, A CORPORATION OF TEXAS.

Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

Serial No. 734,562.

STOCK FOOD.

1,089,630, Specification of Letters Patent.

No Drawing. Application filed December 2, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. Etnnmcn, acitizen of the United States, residing at Sugar Land, in the county ofFort Bend and State of Texas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovement-s 1n Stock Food, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in stock foods, and has for itsprimary object the production of what may be properly styled a perfectlybalanced ration, equally useful in connection with the fattening ofcattle and hogs, and the building up of working stock.

The invention comprehends also a stock food wherein certain by-productscan be used with marked success; a raw stock food which will not sour,mold or sprout and which can therefore be stored or used at longintervals without deterioration, and finally, a food comprising in itscomposition ingredients which, in association with other ingredients,will represent a stock food highly beneficial, inexpensive andsubstantially free from deteriorating properties.

The invention contemplates the provision of a food which will be lessexpensive than foods consisting entirely of whole or mixed grains, andwhich will have the wholesome quality attributed to the use of molasses,commonly styled blackstrap, which, owing to its nutritious character, iswell recognized as a most desirable constituent for a stock food.

The use of molasses in substantial quantities has heretofore beenhandicapped or prevented by reason of the laxative properties of thissubstance, resulting in harmful bowel trouble. After a long period ofexperimenting, culminating in successful, practical demonstration, Ihave discovered that by combining the molasses and the other foodconstituents, to be herein later referred to, with a very smallproportion of peat,

then the final product is satisfactory in every way, resultinginvariably in an improvement of the stock to which the food is given,and preventing those diseases so prevalent among stock and so expensiveto the owners thereof; and, in fact the food has been proven to exertcurative results in cases of colic. Another important advantage residesin the fact that an animal feeding on any amount of the food of which itwill partake, will not founder.

I recognize the fact that others have heretofore attempted to combine ina food, large proportions of peat as a food constituent, but this is notsatisfactory because of the fact that peat is not generally regarded asa concentrated food stuff. As distinguished from this idea, however, Iuse the peat in a very small proportion, merely for its modifylngresults to counteract the laxative quality of the molasses and toprevent the generation of harmful gases in the stock, practice havingshown that the proportion of peat employed by me is helpful and hassubstantially the same effect on an animal as charcoal has on the humanbody,acting as a blood purifier.

lVith the foregoing understanding of the characteristics of my improvedfood, its composition and method of production may now be understood.

Assuming the final pro-duct to be of one hundred parts, I employ thefollowing ingredients in the proportions stated, to wit: Blackstrapmolasses 50%, cotton seed hulls, 20%, alfalfa meal 20%, cotton seed meal5%, peat 5%.

The foregoing is particularly well adapted for a horse food and while Ifind it particularly desirable to preserve the proportions of molassesand peat, in feed for cattle and hogs the proportions of the remainingfood constituents may be varied somewhat, as for example in cattle food,cotton seed hulls to the extent of 30% may be employed, reducing thealfalfa meal to 10%; and in the case of a food for hogs the cotton seedmeal may be employed to the extent of 5% and rice bran to the extent of25%, and alfalfa meal to the extent of 15%.

The process of manufacture involves the feeding of the variousingredients, with the exception of the molasses, from separate sourcesof supply, into a common receiver, where they are thoroughly mixed andblended while 1n adry condition and in the absence of heat, followingwhich the dry cold mixture is discharged into another mixing chamberinto which the molasses is gradually fed, and the whole thoroughly mixedtogether still in the absence of heat, until the perfected product isobtained, the same being a dry mass having a tendency to adhere as asolid, substantially devoid of stickiness and easily crumbled and brokenup. Immediately upon the termination of the method to which I havealluded, the food may be directly fed into paper or cloth bags or otherdevices for transportation or use, this being enabled by the coldprocess involving the mixing together of the food constituents,including the molasses with the peat, in the natural condition of thesame.

It is to be understood that the materials designated as cotton seedhulls and alfalfa meal may be substituted for other materials, and alsoin lieu of the cotton seed meal other oily substance may be employed inthe eneral mixture.

The ood thus produced is one wherein the above stated ob ects areobtained, and is also of that character pleasing to the taste and"readily satisfies the appetite of the animal.

I claim:

1. A stock food consisting of a divided fibrous, uncooked alimentarbase, such as cotton seed hulls and alfal a meal, a lowgrade molasses,in proportion greater than the proportion of any of the other materials,a relatively small portion of oily substance such as cotton seed meal,and a minor portion of peat.

2. A stock food comprising approximately 20 parts cotton seed hulls, 20parts alfalfa meal, a small percentage of cotton seed meal, a low grademolasses in proportion greater than the proportion of any of the othermaterials, and a minor part of eat.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM T. ELDRIDGE.

VVit-nesses I. H. KEMPNER, A. M. WAUGH.

